Those stories you hear about abused dogs being rescued just breaks my heart and really, really ticks me off! I think anyone who mistreats a dog should face a firing squad!

But I digress.

I basically fell into this type of work shortly after moving to Orlando back in 2006. I had moved into a retirement community with my parents and was looking for a part-time job.

I was hired by a woman who had a 2-year-old Boston Terrier who I will just call “O”, for privacy reasons. Five days a week, I stayed for an hour or more and walked, played and sometimes fed her. Sometimes I would come over on Sundays.

She and I would go for long walks around the community.

As she got older, I cut the walks short just to the grassy areas near the clubhouse and office, pushing her there in a doggie stroller. Afterward, I took her for what I would call “buggy rides” around the community.

Over the next several years, I got more clients but “O” was my main charge. I’ve had dogs of my own but I must confess, I came to love “O” as if she were all mine.

Bing/Boston terrier

And she’s not the only one. I’ve come to care deeply for all my charges over the years.

Sadly, “O” died in June from pancreatic issues which she’d been dealing with for quite some time. I admit, I cried. I cried hard…

However, I don’t call that the downside of dog-sitting.

That’s actually one of the best parts of the job, I think.

Not only do I get to spend time outside but I get to spend time with one of God’s most beautiful creatures. I find it very rewarding and quite frankly, I don’t see myself – nor do I want – to see myself doing anything else.

Yes, it’s a dirty job, literally…

I’ve picked up a dog who has walked through rain and mud puddles.

I’ve had a dog vomit on me, andddddddd

I’ve had to pick up messy #2’s….yep! somebody’s got to do it.

Right now, I’m currently healing from several dog bites on my fingers from a 4-month-old puppy I just started sitting with about two weeks ago.

I must confess, I haven’t had to deal with a puppy since my own dog was one eight years ago so I’ve had to do a lot of reading online to remind myself!

I’m glad the 9 to 5 job community rejected me because I believe if I had been successful in finding a regular job, I would’ve missed my calling to be a dog-sitter.

Now, I can only imagine what some of you might be thinking.

Do I honestly think that my purpose in life, is to get down and dirty basically every single day with these wonderful dogs? Coming home, smelling like God knows what?

Yep. Actually, I do.

But, you won’t make a whole lot of money, in doing that. I could hear someone say.

Well………soooooo…

What’s your point??

Amy is a resident of Florida. Since 2006, she has been self-employed in the dog care field. In May 2017, she self-published a memoir titled “I Am Not Stupid” which is available through Amazon. She writes for seethegoodinfo, an inspirational website and the Learning Disabilities Association’s newsletter LD Source.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on this blog – please email me (RoshondaB =) at justsuminspiration@gmail.com for submission guidelines.

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I had become so fed up over the years with being rejected and discriminated against because of my learning difficulties. Over time, it affected my attitude.

I heard the words “I was not worth” so many times until soon I just shut down and basically reverted back to having periods of acting immaturely.

It lasted for years.

People my age range were working a 9-5, living out on their own and dealing with your basic real world stuff. But, Me???

I was still living at home, not working. I was mostly in my room, only coming out for meals or for the television programs my family and I watched together.

The only time I would get out of the house was when I’d go volunteer at local senior citizen centers.

I would write often but mostly I just automatically deleted whatever I wrote because I didn’t think any of my work was worthy of being seen.

To say I was a mess would be an understatement…

My parents had to be wondering what they were doing wrong… but of course, it wasn’t them. I honestly couldn’t have asked for better parents.

In a nutshell, I basically just gave up.

I believed all the lies and myths that were said about me.

It wasn’t until I turned 34 that I realized my habitual routine had gotten pretty old!

My maternal grandmother had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and died around Thanksgiving 2011.

Right after the funeral, I began doing some serious soul searching.

I spent the next couple of years reading numerous self-help books and returned to my faith.

One morning shortly after I had turned 40, I woke up as if I were a totally different person.

It’s hard to really explain but I felt as if all the emotions I had been dealing with were gone. My mind felt so clear and I felt so at peace!

It felt as if God healed me.

That’s the way I choose to look at it anyway.

I have come to realize in time that we need to take our lives one day at a time because that is all we are given.

We are not the ones in control.

We are not the ones to decide how our lives go.

Yes, it really did hurt to experience all that I had gone through but I have turned a completely new leaf.

I no longer live a “woe is me” type of life.

I feel like I am making up for lost time.

I have been self-employed in the dog care field for 12 years and I am happy to say that my writing career is finally taking off.

I know that what has been given me is a rarity and I don’t want to mess it up.

I want to just simply enjoy this second chance that I have been blessed with.

Amy is a resident of Florida. Since 2006, she has been self-employed in the dog care field. In May 2017, she self-published a memoir titled “I Am Not Stupid” which is available through Amazon. She writes for seethegoodinfo, an inspirational website and the Learning Disabilities Association’s newsletter LD Source.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on this blog – please email me (Roshonda =) at justsuminspiration@gmail.com for submission guidelines.

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In the words of Joyce Meyers, “Hurting people – hurt people.” The fact of the matter is hurting people who hurt other people may not even realize that they’re hurting others, or do it purposefully. In an effort to protect themselves, they end up hurting others. In my experience, the idea of hurting people hurting others has proven to be a real thing in my life many times. I myself used to be so accustomed to heartache and pain that when new people tried to enter my life, I would push them away because I was afraid of being hurt and rejected.

Fear of Rejection can cause hurt people to hurt others or push them away.

God has worked in my life and heart and helped me get to the point where I can embrace new people in my life with open arms; without the fear of being afraid of getting hurt. My best friend of nearly ten years used to be the same way as well because of past experiences. The beginning of our friendship was rocky because every time our friendship would grow deeper on a personal level, she would pull and push me away for weeks; sometimes months. This period was frustrating, but eventually, we got through it and she learned to trust my loyalty to the friendship and my care for her. So, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when God spoke to me about a year ago now, and told me to assist him in healing another person’s heart. However, it did. Though I’ve been in situations before where hurting people hurt others, it’s not easier around this time with the new friend that God told me to help.

Patience and understanding is the key. Yet, on days when I feel like giving up on encouraging this new friend and trying to show them the love of Christ so that they too can help someone else, I remember an inspirational passage. The inspirational passage is

“If you try to help others, they may push you away. If you try to love them, they may reject that love. Pray for, bless, and love them anyway.”

And that’s exactly what I plan to do! I didn’t give up on myself or my best friend, and I’m not giving up on my new friend either. Because I’m a risk-taker and was once a hurting person that hurt others unintentionally, I won’t EVER stop trying to help mend broken hearts and I WON’T ever stop encouraging others to be the best versions of themselves. God often uses people to bless others. He can use me for whatever and however He wants to for the rest of my life…because I’ll never stop encouraging others. It’s my gift to the world.

Ashley Moss is the author of “Lessons I’ve Learned: A collection of Inspirational and Love Poetry” which is a downloadable e-book. Ashley loves writing and is going to school now to obtain her master’s degree in creative writing. She currently runs a blog called “Pockets full of Love” in which she posts encouraging and thought-provoking messages the 15th of every month. For more information on Ashley and how to obtain her poetry e-book, you can visit her on Facebook, her blog “Pockets full of Love” or her “Ashley Moss Authors website here.

If you would like to be a part of the guest blogger series for JustsumInspiration, complete the contact form on this site or email justsuminspiration@gmail.com for more info.

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